Sweetness
by atalanta's apples
Summary: chapter three-to escape hospital visits and sickness, Hermione Apparates herself to her ideal place, but the place also happened to be the Malfoy summer home where Draco was staying for the summer...hxd
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: All characters were created by J.K. Rowling thus they all belong to her *sob*

Author's Notes: This is going to take place during the summer before Hermione and Draco's sixth year, so that they'll both be sixteen. Sweet sixteen actually… enjoy the fic!

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Draco gave his horse a good hard kick and it spurred into a gallop. He was stuck in his parent's summer home all summer and he was not enjoying one second of it. Wind whistled in his ears and Draco merely urged his horse to go faster. It was a hot summer, end of July now, and Draco found himself wishing that August would fly by so he could return to Hogwarts. He was sure he'd be damned before he actually _wanted_ to return to that sorry excuse for a school but here he was, doing exactly that. 

"Draco Malfoy!" Draco jumped in surprise and pulled his horse to a stop. Damn those listening spells! It was his mother. Draco scowled. He thought she had flown into one of her emotional fits and was locked up in one of the rooms with a bottle of champagne. Obviously not anymore. 

"Come back into the house, we have a surprise for you." Draco rolled his eyes. Probably another friend of the family who happened to have a young daughter his age. He was sixteen, for God's sake, not twenty one and he didn't need any possible wives or girlfriends right now. Relationships were sticky and annoying and he didn't want anything to do with them right now. 

The breezy, sophisticated summer home came into view with his breezy, sophisticated mother standing outside, wearing a straw hat to protect her face from the sun. She was wearing a simple, silk dress and her hair, as white blond as Draco's, was curled and hung to her shoulders. Draco and her mother actually looked quite a bit alike. They both had the strong noses, hair, and tall, lean built. But Draco's mother had green eyes. Draco had gotten his pale blue, gray ones from his father. 

"Where on earth have you been?" she hissed, her nails digging into Draco's arm. Her mood didn't quite match her kind appearance. She dragged Draco inside as Draco groaned inwardly. Seated inside on the silk couches was a tall, dark haired man, a petite woman, and, just as Draco had suspected, a young girl with a curtain of straight, chocolate brown, shiny hair hanging straight to her back. Draco could tell that they were a family by their matching expressions: bored and annoyed. 

"These are the Hardings, dear," said Mrs. Malfoy. "And this would be Hannah." Hannah looked up, but then the expression on her face melted. She looked at Draco with a pleased look in her eyes and stood. She was tall and could look at Draco in the eye. 

"I'm pleased to meet you," she said, with a slight smile, creating a dimple on one ivory cheek. She was in love with Draco, hopelessly in love much like most of the girls that ever met him. Draco stifled a yawn as he extended his hand to shake hers. 

"Like wise," said Draco, sounding bored. Unfortunately for Hannah, she didn't know that Draco wasn't one to fall in love. Try as she might, he was unmovable when it came to love…

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Hermione waited in the hospital room, bored to death. The doctor had poked his head in about five minutes ago and called her parents out. It was July! What was she doing in here? Hermione felt a growing feeling of unfairness. She was supposed to be at the Burrow, with Harry and Ron but no, it was just the day she had arrived when an owl came for her from her parents, making her return. The minute she did come home, they brought her here to this damn hospital. 

"Hermione?" Her parents reentered the room, looking concerned. 

"Are we ready to leave now? Can I return to the Burrow then?" Hermione's parents exchanged a glance. 

"We don't want to worry you but," Mrs. Granger started, hesitantly. Hermione started to cough, bringing her fist to her mouth. When she stopped, she felt the coppery tang of blood in the back of her throat.

"But what?" Hermione demanded. "It's a cold, or some sort of strep throat? Could we please just get the medicine and leave?" Hermione then noticed that her mother's eyes were overly bright.

"Hermione, honey," her father said. "It's more than just a cold. We're afraid that the doctor has diagnosed you with, well…" The doctor stepped in.

"It's best we keep the name of the illness from you, my dear," said the doctor. The doctor looked worried but was trying to hide it. "We wouldn't want to scare you." Hermione closed her eyes.

"But you already have," she whispered. 

"We have to run a couple of more tests to be sure," the doctor said, haltingly. Hermione glared at him.

"No!" she screamed. "You took me away from my summer! I don't want to do any more bloody tests!" She shoved her arm in the doctor's face. It had multiple bandages on it where the nurses had drawn blood and parts that were not covered in bandages, it was bruised.

"Hermione, let's be reasonable," said her mother, trying to pull her daughter in her arms. She stroked Hermione's wild hair. 

"I said no!" Hermione jumped from the hospital bed and ran outside, past the waiting room, until she could breathe fresh air again. She already knew what was wrong with her. With her magic, Hermione already knew. And she wanted to forget it, she didn't want anyone else to find out. Then her parents take her to this bloody hospital with the damn doctor. How could they? She wanted to be away from everyone. Hermione took out her wand that she had concealed in her back pocket. She had been reading about apparition and disapparition. She was smart. Surely she could Apparate away to the Burrow or someplace safe. Hermione closed her eyes and thought of green fields and a bright sun. Horses maybe, she loved to ride horses, and a sprawling lovely house where she could walk around its marble floors barefoot and sip ginger lemonade. Who cares if this place didn't exist? She would _make_ it exist. Hermione saw the world around her disappear and she felt herself whizzing through space. Suddenly, it stopped and she was dropped onto grass. Hermione lay there, gasping and turned over onto her back. The sun shone down on her. Did she actually do it? Hermione didn't actually have time to rejoice in the fact that she had actually Apparated for a blond haired boy riding a chestnut stallion was galloping towards her at full speed. 

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A/N: sooo…was that good? Bad? The story will take more shape in the next chappy when they actually meet. Please tell me if this is okay or not and I promise the next chappy will be a lot more interesting and fun! 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this laptop and i love to write so don't sue me and deprive me of my lappy...  
  
Author's Notes: Big hugs to my first reviewers, heeheee...they always hold a special place in my heart...oh, and the name of the disease will be revealed in this chappy! i think...  
  
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Hermione closed her eyes and put her arms over her head, too weak to try and move out of the way. In the last moment, the horse reared up and jumped over Hermione. She opened her eyes to see that the horse had slowed down and the rider had changed the position of the horse so that they were coming towards her. The rider dismounted and walked towards her.  
  
"What the- Granger! What are you doing here?" Hermione struggled to get up. Of all the people in the world...  
  
"You're trespassing on private property," said Draco, glaring at Hermione. Hermione ignored him and turned around and started to walk away.   
  
"How the hell did you get here anyways?"   
  
"I Apparated." Hermione stopped and turned around to face Draco and look at his eyes so he'd know that she hadn't lied.   
  
"Why the bloody hell would you Apparate here? It's a prison here." Hermione scowled.  
  
"Stop swearing. I didn't mean to Apparate onto your private estate, Mr. Malfoy," said Hermione, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I needed to get away."  
  
"From what?!" Hermione started to answer but she felt another cough attack coming and she started to cough so hard that her back hurt. Hermione fell to her knees and clamped her palms over her mouth. Draco looked surprised at this violent attack.   
  
"Er, Granger? You okay? Should I get you some water or something?"   
  
"I want to be alone," Hermione said, face buried in the grass. She wiped her bloody palms on the grass. Draco jumped at the sight of the crimson blood on the green grass.   
  
"You can't stay here you know." Hermione didn't answer. Draco rolled his eyes. Why was it he that this stuff always happened too?   
  
"You have to go home, Mother doesn't like visitors." Okay, so that was a lie, but Draco didn't really want to deal with a Mudblood right now. When Hermione lifted her face, Draco was shocked to find tears in her eyes.  
  
"I can't go home," she whispered. Draco sat down next to Hermione awkwardly as she buried her face in her knees and cried. He tentively put a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"You crying Granger?"   
  
"What do you think, genius?" she cried. Draco bit his lip slightly and put his arms around her shoulders. Why did he care about what Hermione felt?   
  
"Granger never cries," he said, in a voice you might use to lure a child into grinning. He tried wiping a tear away from her face.   
  
"Besides, what would Potter and his loyal puppy dog think when they see you cry like this? You've always been the strong one." Hermione's tears finally slowed.  
  
"The strong one?" she asked in a small voice. Draco grinned.   
  
"You make Potter and Weasley look like a couple of kids." That was an ironic statment. Draco was surprised that she had lost a substantial amount of weight. Hermione had never been too thin but now she looked more like a child. They stayed silent for a little bit, looking at the clouds above. The breeze was comforting and the sun was warm. Hermione didn't want to leave this place forever. She wanted to stay for eternity. To die out here, she wouldn't care.   
  
"So...Granger, are you sick or something?" Hermione nodded into her knees and the tears started to flow again. Draco hoped that she wasn't contagious and leaned a little away from her.  
  
"Don't worry, Draco," she said, still looking down. "I made sure that I wasn't contagious with magic. I wouldn't want to go and infect my friends with tuberculosis, would I?"  
  
"Tuberculosis?" echoed Draco.  
  
"Yes," Hermione snapped. "Is there an echo out here?" She sighed, her shoulders drooping forward.   
  
"But it's curable, isn't it?" Draco wanted desperately to help Hermione stop crying. He didn't know why he didn't leave her out here but something kept him from mounting his horse and galloping back to the house. Hermione shrugged.   
  
Too bad it's resistant, thought Hermione. It keeps fighting the medicine, but no way in hell am I going to tell that much to Draco. He'd probably use the information against me.  
  
"So you'll get better, right?"  
  
"Who knows Draco?" said Hermione, getting a little annoyed. "Look, am I dying right now?"   
  
Draco didn't want to say anything but she did look pretty bad. Hermione looked pale, of course there was the thinness, and something else that he coudln't quite place his finger on. Something had dampened her spirit. Draco looked out into the horizon. He didn't want to question her any further, in case she might say something that he didn't want to know.   
  
"But you really can't stay here. You're parents..."  
  
"Well screw them," said Hermione, looking angry.   
  
"But won't they miss you?" Hermione looked away as hot tears slid down her cheeks. She felt as if they were making burning tracks down her face.  
  
"I'll send an owl but I'm not going back." She started coughing again.   
  
"Jesus, Hermione, that sounds like the devil," said Draco. He patted her on the back. Hermione laughed slightly.  
  
"And why are you still here?" she demanded. Draco thought hard. Why was he still here next to Hermione, trying to comfort her?  
  
"Because I care," he finally said. And he wasn't lying. He didn't know what it was about the thin, coughing girl next to him that made him feel sad and happy at the same time. He didn't know why she was the one who made him feel the way he was feeling right now. All he knew was that he didn't want to leave her side. Not now and not ever. And he desperately wanted to know why he was feeling this way.  
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A/N: hey my awesome readers! lol, i did my research on tuberculosis and there are some types that are resistant to the drugs that doctors give to the patients but if any of u guys have any complaints about what I say about the disease, if it's wrong or whatever 'cuz knowing me it probably will be wrong heehee, just tell me and i'll fix it! thanks for reading, please R&R! 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, unfortunately, except for my new chrimbo pressies, yay!  
  
Author's notes: thanks to all of you who reviewed! I was stuck for a while then inspiration hit me....kinda....  
  
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Draco watched awkwardly as Hermione coughed.   
  
"Look Granger," he said. "If you're not going home, at least come into my house. I don't want you dying out here then making me drag you around the place." Hermione scowled. How Draco-ish. She stood up not without some help from Draco. She staggered to her feet and let him support to his horse. Hermione mounted up and Draco got on in front of her.   
  
"Hold on tight, Strider likes to go fast," he said. Hermione tightened her grip around Draco's waist and they galloped off under the hot sun, the sky a brilliant blue.   
  
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"Where's that devil son of mine?" muttered Mrs. Malfoy. He obviously went out again. Typical. Just like his father, running away when things didn't go the way he wanted them to. She looked apologetically at the Hardings.  
  
"Perhaps we should go out, golf a bit, eat some lunch?" she suggested. The Hardings didn't move a muscle in their stony faces.  
  
"Where's Draco?" asked Hannah. Mrs. Malfoy smiled.  
  
"He's out dear but I'm sure he'll want to see you before you leave." They waited a little longer to see if somehow Draco would magically appear but he didn't. They left but not before Mrs. Malfoy cursed about her son's nonexsistant presense under her breath.  
  
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"Thank god," said Draco, dismounting. Hermione slid off the horse, trying to straighten out her windblown hair.  
  
"Thank god for what?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think anyone's home. My mother's probably out with the guests." As they entered, Draco took off his shoes so they wouldn't scuff the perfect marble floors. Hermione kicked off her sandals and braced herself for the shock of the cold stone but was surprise to find that the marble underneath her feet was not icy but pleasantly cool. She followed him into the large, immaculate kitchen.   
  
"What do you want to drink?" he asked, popping his head into the fridge. Hermione shrugged.   
  
"Anything I guess." Draco surveyed her and brough out a pitcher of ginger lemonade and a can of beer for himself.  
  
"You're a drinker?" she asked, voice disgusted. Draco looked at Hermione whow as throwing him daggers with his eyes.   
  
"Er- No," he said and put the beer back and instead took out two glass cups. Why did he do that? Draco wondered. Why should I change to keep her happy? These thoughts were racing through his head as he poured out the lemonade and passed a glass to Hermione. She hesitated. Wasn't it always in fables where someone drinks or eats things given to them by faeries and then are unable to ever go home? She shrugged. Draco wasn't a faery although she had to admit he looked as aloof and ethereal as one with his flaxen hair and blue eyes. But he wasn't a faery and she didn't even want to go home. She took the glass, tipped her head back, and downed the contents.   
  
"I never liked ginger lemonade," said Draco. "But it's not so bad." It's not so bad when you're drinking it with a certain person, his mind added, making Draco surprised.   
  
"I suppose you can stay here if you want," he added. Hermione looked around. This place did have everything she had Apparated for: horses, marble floors where she could walk barefoot, and ginger lemonade. It was perfect...except it had Draco Malfoy also thrown into the picture. She should have specified more...but now she wasn't too sure that having Draco around was going to be that bad.  
  
"Wouldn't your parents have a fit?" she asked.   
  
"My parents? As if they ever care about me," said Draco, almost bitterly. He took another gulp of the lemonade. "My mother's only interested in selling me off to some other rich family so she can get even richer. Father's always off on some business trip, probably killing more muggles and muggle lovers. He's disgusting. I don't want him around but I know that when he's not around, he's doing more harm." Hermione blinked at him, surprised.  
  
"And the Ministry lets him get away with doing that?" she asked, shocked.  
  
"I dunno if the Ministry even actually knows what he's truly doing and even I'm not sure if he's doing what I think he's doing but he tells my mother and me all the time. But the Ministry, even if they did know, they wouldn't mind. They love Father. Anything to keep him in power will be good for them."   
  
"Wait," said Hermione, starting to grin. "So does that mean you like muggles and muggle lovers?"   
  
"No," Draco said, too quickly. "I just think er- it's *wrong* to do something like that."  
  
"Sure," she said, now smiling.   
  
"If what you're trying to say is that I actually tolerate, even like, Weasley...you're wrong." Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Okay." She took a sip of the lemonade then started to cough again. Draco looked around and pressed a linen napkin into her hand. Hermione shook her head but Draco didn't let her give it back to him. She coughed into the white square of cloth until it was stained with blood.  
  
"This is so disgusting," she said, frowning. "I think this should be thrown away, I may not be contagious but germs can jump to other things. And you wouldn't be able to fix this, no matter how much 'Spot-Away' you use."   
  
"Isn't there anything the doctor can do to help you?" he asked desperately.  
  
"It's nothing, Draco. It's temporary. Where's the bathroom?" she asked, showing him her bloody hands. He lead her to the bathroom and waited outside in the hallway, leaning against the wall, listening to the water running in the bathroom and Hermione coughing. It sounded like it'd hurt. Like it'd hurt a lot.   
  
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A/N: I'll try and update sooner than last time, please R&R! 


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